Shani Fleming of Charlotte earned the American Association of Physicians Associates Diversity Award for her work on diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession.

Shani Fleming of Charlotte is the inaugural winner of the American Academy of Physician Associates’ Diversity Award.

Fleming, 45, a physician assistant and a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore Graduate School for the PA program, is leaving the door open for other medical students of color entering the field.

“The literature really talks about what we could do to reduce health disparities and one of the consistent messages is that we need to increase representation in the health profession,” said Fleming, who also serves as the graduate schools’ chief, equity, diversity and inclusion officer.

The Diversity Award honors a physician associate or PA group based on their work with diversity, equity and inclusion within the profession, community, or patients that they serve.

Fleming was recognized for fostering inclusivity and encouraging more minorities to pursue medicine.

“She really exemplifies in the example of PAs going beyond,” AAPA President Jennifer Orozco said. I think she embodies not only as this chief diversity officer that she is, but all of her passion and her advocacy for not only recruiting students and holding all of them accountable, but then showing what we as PAs need to do as we practice eliminating racism and bias and all of these things that fall into medical practice unconsciously.”

In 1999, Fleming graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a degree in rehabilitation services and a minor in biology.

In 2002, Fleming earned master’s degrees in public health and health sciences from George Washington University. As a Black student attending a predominantly white institution, she was the only student of color in the PA cohort. Blacks make up 3% of PAs in the United States according to the AAPA.

There were several instances where Fleming experienced microaggressions from white peers, although the negative remarks were macro. For instance, subtle comments on Black patients growing up in low-income neighborhoods like the “ghetto,” or teachers asking her questions during clinical rotations to better understand her experience as an African American. Often, medical curriculum can also contribute to negative depictions on people of color.

“There were some days that I just didn't have it in me to always fight and have to correct and educate,” Fleming said. “But there were sometimes I was just feeling feisty, and I'm like, ‘you're not gonna keep having these conversations.’ I challenged professors quite a bit and sometimes I would do it in front of the entire class or I would have conversations at the end. But that was also pretty challenging.”

That pivotal moment inspired her to take a huge turn in her career and begin increasing diversity in the PA profession. Fleming now works to go above and beyond to educate, recruit, mentor, and train faculty and students of color in the field.

As chief DEI officer at UMB, she takes a strategic approach to ensure the foundation of the graduate school serves as an inclusive environment and welcomes students from all cultural backgrounds.

Fleming has led several workshops, trainings, and professional development events for clinicians, faculty, and staff.

As an advocate of minority health, Fleming has developed a medical curriculum to include education on implicit bias, social determinants of health, public health, and LGBT health in medicine.

“There's [an] intersection of identity,” Fleming said. “So, when you're thinking about my educational status, my sexuality, my religious sort of background, my ability status, – all of those things have an impact and how I access the world and how I navigate my health. How people see me, some are invisible, some are visible, and it's important for people, for providers to know that as well. And there are implicit biases within each of those areas.”

In her 20 years of experience, Fleming is an active volunteer with the Physician Assistant Education Association and has served as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Membership Advancement Committee.

She became the founder of the PAEA Minority Faculty Special Interest Group, a resource for faculty of color, which has more than 100. members who share their experiences and develop ways to encourage more representation in PA education.

Even with her accolades, Fleming hopes she is making a difference. Although this is her passion, she admits it is challenging sometimes teaching medical professionals about minority healthcare.

“I did spend a lot of time earlier in my career trying to educate, inform, and change the minds of folks,” Fleming said. “But that can be very frustrating and very, very difficult to do. And so now I am of the mindset that there is a plethora of information out there and a ton of resources and support for people and it's up to them to do the work. It's no longer my responsibility to convince or change people's minds. They have to take ownership of it.”

Comments